THE SINGING SACK.

There was once a mother who had an only daughter whom she loved very
dearly; and because the girl was very good she had given her a pretty coral
necklace. One day the child went to fill her pitcher with water at a fountain
near the cottage. When she reached the fountain, she took off her coral
necklace and put it down, so that it should not fall into the water as she filled
her pitcher. A very hideous old beggar-man with a sack was seated at the
fountain, and he gave the child such a terrible look that she was afraid, and
scarcely stayed to fill her pitcher before she ran away, quite forgetting the
necklace in her fright.
When she reached home the girl remembered her necklace, and ran back to
the fountain to seek it; but when she arrived the old beggar who was still
seated there, seized her and thrust her into his sack. He then went on his way
begging alms from door to door, saying that he carried a wonderful thing with
him, a sack that could sing. The folks wished to hear it, so the old rogue cried
out with a voice of thunder :
'Sing, sack, sing;
Or your neck I will wring!"

The poof girl, half dead with fear, had no help but to sing, which she
weepingly did, as follows:
"I went to the well for water
The well near by my home,
And I lost my coral necklace.

That came from far off Rome.

Alas! my darling mother,
How troubled you will be!

"I went to the well to seek it

But could not find it there:
I have lost my coral necklace;

My necklace rich and rare!

Alas! my darling mother,
How saddened you will be!

"Oh, I could not find my necklace

My mother's gift to me!
Oh, I could not find my necklace

And I lost my liberty!

Alas! my darling mother,
How wretched you will be!"

The poor child sang this so well, that the people were very glad to listen to
her; and everywhere much money was given to the old man to hear the sack
sing.
Going thus from house to house, at last he arrived at the home of the girl's
mother, who at once recognised her daughter's voice, and therefore said to
the beggar :
"Father, the weather is very bad; the wind increases and the rain falls; shelter
yourself here to-night, and I will give you some supper."
The old rascal was very willing; and the girl's mother gave him so much to
eat and drink that he became stupid, and after his supper went to sleep, and
slept as sound as a top. Then the mother drew her little darling out of the
sack, where she was nearly frozen, and gave her many kisses and a good
warm supper, and put her to bed. She then put a dog and a cat into the sack.
The following morning the old beggar
thanked her, and went away. On arriving at
the next house, he said his usual say of :
"Sing, sack, sing,

Or your neck I will wring;"

when the dog answered,

"Old rogue, bow-wow ;"
and the cat added,
"Old thief, mieau-mieau."
In a rage, the beggar, thinking it was the girl who said this, opened the sack
to punish her, when the dog and cat sprang out furiously; and the cat jumped
at his face and clawed out his eyes, whilst the dog bit a piece out of his nose.

THE FOOLISH WOLF AND THE SHREWD FOX.

Once upon a time there was a certain fox that had two very young cubs. Near
its abode, which was a little hut, lived its friend, a wolf. One day when
passing, the fox saw that great preparations were being made in the wolf's
house, and that it was being decorated in quite a palatial style. The wolf
asked her friend to come in and see the place, and she went in, and saw over
the hall, bedroom, kitchen, and even the larder, which was very well
furnished.
"Friend," said the fox, "I see that what you lack is a little pot of honey."
"That is true," the wolf responded; and as
she at that moment heard a man passing
through the street, crying :
"Honey from bees,
Syrup of flowers,"

the wolf bought some and filled a little pot with it, telling her friend, that
when the work was quite finished in her house she would invite her to a
banquet at which the honey should be eaten.
But the work never seemed to come to an end , and the fox, whose paws
itched for the honey, was burning to eat it up
One day she said to the wolf:

"Friend, I have been invited to be godmother at a christening, and I wish that

you would do me the kindness to come to my house, and take care of my
cubs whilst I am away." The wolf consented; and the fox, instead of going to a
christening, went to the wolfs house, devoured a good share of the honey,
and took nuts, raisins, figs, pears, almonds, and whatever she could purloin,
and then went off into the fields to eat them comfortably with some
shepherds, who in exchange gave her some milk and cheese.
When she returned, the wolf said :
"Well, friend, how did the christening go off?"
"Very well," said the fox.
"And what was the child named?"
"Commencement," responded the supposed godmother.
"Goodness gracious, what a name!" said her friend.
"It is not mentioned in the Calendar. It is the name of a saint of but slight
reputation," replied the fox.
"And the sweets?" inquired her friend.
"Not a single sweet was had."
"Good heavens, what a christening!" said the wolf, "I have never seen one
like that. Here, I have been the whole day like a nurse with your cubs, and
nothing to eat, and now you come in with empty hands. That is a nice way to
be treated!"
And she went away in a passion.
After a while the fox had great longings to eat honey once more, and she
tried the same trick on the wolf again in order to draw her from her house,
promising that she would bring her some sweetmeats from the christening.
With such fine words she persuaded the wolf, and when she returned at night,
after having spent a pleasant day in the country, and having eaten half the
honey, the friend asked her what the child had been named.
"Moiety" answered the fox.
"What a name!" said the wolf, who one can see was rather silly, "in all my life
I have never heard of such a name."
"It is a Moorish saint's," responded her friend.
And the wolf was quite convinced, and asked for the sweetmeats.

"I went to sleep for a little while under an olive tree, and some starlings came
and carried them off in their claws and beaks," responded the fox.
The wolf went off in a passion, muttering imprecations against the starlings.
After a certain interval the fox went again with the same deceitful tale to her
neighbour.
"I shan't go again!" said the wolf; " I don't want to have to sing your cubs to
sleep, and gain nothing more, after all my years of domestic experience, than
to have the trouble of looking after your youngsters, whilst you go to as many
christenings as you please!"
But the fox used so many kind words and made so many promises of the
sweetmeats that she would bring back, that at last she persuaded the wolf to
stay in her hut.
When the fox returned, after having eaten the whole of the honey that was
left, the wolf asked what the child had been named, and was answered :
"Finis"
"What a name! never have I heard the like," said the wolf.
"It is a saint's who does not like to hear the sound of it himself," said the fox.
"But how about the sweetmeats?" inquired the neighbour.
"The tray was broken in the oven, and they were all burnt," responded the
fox.
The wolf flew into a great rage, saying :
"Neighbour, I wish that all the sweets your so-called godchildren,
Commencement, Moiety, and Finis, put into their mouths may change to
stones."
Some time passed by, when the fox said to the wolf:
"Neighbour, a promise is a debt; your house is now finished, and you have to
give me the banquet which you promised."
The wolf, who was still angry, did not want to do so, but finally was
persuaded and gave the fox the invitation.
When the time for dessert arrived, she brought in, as promised, the pot of
honey, and as she lifted it said :
"How light this jar is! Honey weighs very little!"

But when she opened it she was astounded to see it empty.

"What is this?" she exclaimed.
"What can it be," responded the fox, "but that you have eaten it all yourself
without giving me a part?"
"I have not tasted it yet though," said the wolf.
"What! you must have done so, but you do not remember."
"I tell you that I have not, rogue! It is you who have robbed me; and your
three godchildren, Commencement, Moiety, and Finis, have been the
beginning, half, and end of my honey!"
"Besides having eaten the honey without giving me any share, you now wish
to bring a false charge against me! Greedy wretch, why don't you hide your
face with shame?" said the fox.
"I have not eaten it; it is you, you rogue and thief! And now I am going to the
lion to make my complaint," replied the wolf.
"Listen to me, neighbour, and do not be in such a hurry," said the fox. "Any
one who has eaten honey, if he goes to sleep in the sun, will be covered with
honey when he wakes, don't you know that?"
"No," said the wolf.
"It is quite true," said the fox; "we will take our afternoon nap in the sun, and
when we wake up, then we shall see which of us is really the culprit."
The wolf agreed at last, and they went to sleep in the sun. Scarcely had the
fox heard her hostess snoring, than she got up, scraped out the pot, and
rubbed the honey that was left over the wolf. She then licked her paws and
went to sleep. When the wolf awoke and saw that she was covered with
honey, she said:
"Oh! it is true, then, that I have eaten it; but I can swear to you, my friend,
that I did not recollect it. Pardon me! Let us make it up again!"
THE GUARDIAN SPIRITS.
Once upon a time there was a poor old woman who had a niece she had
brought up very strictly; the girl was very good and devout, but a timid little
thing. The poor old woman knew this, and thinking how badly off the girl
would be when she died, fancied the best thing would be to find a good
husband for her.
One day she visited the house of a friend of hers, and among the guests

there was a wealthy Indian, who took an opportunity of saying that he would
marry if he could find a skilful, domestic, modest girl for a wife. The old
woman listened to this, and when she had a chance told him that he would
find what he sought in her niece, who was a prize, a grain of gold, and so
skilful that she could do anything.
The gentleman said that he should like to know her, and that he would call
the following day. The old woman ran home and told her niece to tidy the
house, and that the following day she should dress herself in her best,
because they were going to have a visitor.
When the gentleman came, on the following day, he asked the girl if she
could spin.
"What cannot she do?" said the aunt, "the skeins fly through her fingers like
water."
"What have you done, madam?" said the niece, when the gentleman had
departed, leaving with her three spools of flax to be spun. "What have you
done? For I don't know how to spin."
"Nonsense, girl," said the aunt, "you will do very well. Don't trouble yourself,
but see what Heaven will do for you."
"But in what a predicament you have put me," said the niece, crying.
"You must see what you can devise," replied the aunt; "but you have to spin
those three skeins, for on that depends your fate."
At night the girl retired to her room in great grief, and placed herself in the
protecting hands of the blessed spirits, for she was very devout . Whilst she
was praying there appeared to her three very beautiful spirits, clothed in
white. They told her not to grieve, and they would help her in return for her
many fervent prayers. Each one then took a skein of the flax and wound it off
into a thread as fine as a hair.
On the following day, when the Indian came, he was astounded at seeing
such dexterity united with so much diligence.
"Did I not tell you so, sir?" said the old woman, almost beside herself with
delight.
The gentleman inquired if the girl knew how to sew.
"What cannot she do?" said the aunt with ardour, "pieces of needlework go
through her hands as quickly as cherries through a greedy mouth."
Then the gentleman left linen for three shirts to be made, and the same thing

happened as on the previous night; and again on the following, when the
Indian left a satin waistcoat to be embroidered. Only on the third night,.
Avhen the girl was praying with much fervour and many tears, the guardian
spirits appeared, and one of them said to her :
'. There appeared to her three very beautiful spirits, clothed in white."
"Do not fret yourself, we are come to embroider this waistcoat for you, but it
must be on one condition."
"What is that?" inquired the girl anxiously.
"That you invite us to your wedding."
"But am I going to be married ?" asked the girl.
"Yes," answered the spirits, "to that wealthy Indian."
And so it came to pass; for on the following day, when the gentleman saw the
waistcoat so delicately embroidered that it looked as if hands had never
touched it, and so beautiful that it ravished the eyesight, he told the aunt
that he would like to marry her niece.
The aunt could have danced for joy, but not so the niece, who said :
"But, madam, what will become of me when my husband discovers that I can
do nothing?"
"Nonsense," replied the aunt, "the guardian spirits, who have rescued you
from such difficulties, will not cease from assisting you."
The marriage then was arranged, and on the evening previous to the wedding
the bride went to the altar of her guardian spirits and invited them to the
ceremony.
JOHN THE CONJURER.
Formerly there was a man named John Cigarron (or the Great Cigar), who
gained money by pretending to be a magician. He played his part to
perfection; gave himself such airs and graces that he quite deceived
everybody; for you must know, fair readers, that people have an unfortunate
propensity for believing what they should not believe, and doubting what
they ought not to doubt. Thus it was that John Cigarron at that time acquired
a fame similar to what in our days is acquired by other impostors of his style.
It so happened that a great quantity of plate was stolen from the king's
palace, and notwithstanding the most diligent search it was impossible to find
out who were the perpetrators of the robbery. As a last resource the king was

counselled to order the famous magician to be brought to him, as nothing

could be hidden from this man, although, it was remarked, he would not
always display his power save only when he was in the humour to do so.
The king ordered the magician to be brought into his presence; and the man,
as may be imagined, when he came before his Majesty, was nearly dead from
fright. The king informed him that he was to be shut up in prison for three
days, and that if at the end of those three days he had not discovered the
authors of the robbery, he would have him hanged as a liar and an impostor.
"I may as well prepare myself for death," thought John Cigarron, when he
found himself in prison. "Never would I have held myself forth as a magician
if I had known what it would cost me. Only three days of life left to me; not
one more nor one less! A nice scrape you've got into, John Cigarron!"
The truth was, that the plate had been stolen by three of the king's pages,
who were the very youths charged to take the prisoner his food. When the
first of them took his evening meal to the cell, John Cigarron, alluding to the
three days to which his existence was limited by the
king, exclaimed :
"Ah, my lord Saint Bruno,
Of the three there goes uno" (one).

As the page's conscience was bad, and as he had heard it reported that
nothing could be concealed from this magician, he was startled, and said to
his companions : .
"We are lost! the magician knows that we are the thieves."
The others would not believe it; but on the second day, when another of the
three pages entered the cell with the food, and heard John Cigarron
exclaiming sadly :
"Ah lord Saint John de Dios,
Of the three I have seen dos!" (two),

he went out more alarmed than the first.

"You are right," he said to his companions, "he knows, and we are lost!"
So when it came to pass on the following

day that the third had to take the food in, and
heard John Cigarron saying in despair:
"Ah, Saint Andre's,
Now I've seen the tres!" (three)

he fell on his knees, confessed the crime, and offered to restore all the stolen
plate, and give John Cigarron a great present, if he would not betray them.
The three days having passed, the king commanded the magician to be
brought into his presence, and the man entered with much pomposity.
"Well," said the king, "do you bring me news of my lost property?"
"Sire," responded John Cigarron, with great bombast, "I am too noble and too
philanthropic to betray any one, but I confide in your Majesty being contented
with my skill and power if the stolen plate be restored."
"Yes, yes," replied the king, "I shall be satisfied if the plate be given up.
Where is it?"
John Cigarron drew himself up and responded, as he made a majestic gesture
:
"Let some one go to the cell in which I was confined, and it will be found
there."
This was done, and the plate, which had been carried there by the pages, was
found.
The king was struck with admiration, and took such interest in John Cigarron's
fate, that he appointed him chief Magician, royal Diviner, and Soothsayer in
ordinary. But all this was far from gratifying to the office-bearer, who
trembled with dread at the thought of what might present itself upon the next
occasion when his Majesty should require his scientific services, and when, he
feared, he might not emerge with such flying colours. And his fears were not
quite groundless; for one day when the king was walking in his gardens he
thought he would like another proof of his chief magician's skill, so he
presented himself to him suddenly, with his hand closed, and asked him what
he had in it. On hearing this unexpected question, the poor fellow was quite
stupefied, and exclaimed :
"Sire, the game is up, Cigarron is in your hands now!"
A cry of admiration escaped from the king, who opened his hand and

displayed what was in it; it was a large cigar! (cigarron). In his enthusiasm the
king told the lucky conjurer to ask whatever he wished for; and whatever it
should be, he gave him his royal word that he would grant it. In reply, John
Cigarron said,
"Then, sire, I beg that you will never again put my powers of divination to the
test!"
THE BLUE LILY.
Valencian Version.
Once upon a time there was a king who had three sons, to whom he said that
he would bequeath his crown to the one that brought him the Blue Lily. Then
each of the three princes started off a different way in search of it. The
youngest son found the flower, and hid it in his bosom, so that if he met his
brothers they should not see it. But they met him in the bed of a dried-up
stream, and knowing that he had the flower with him, one said to the other:
"What shall we do to get the Lily from him, and so gain the crown?"
And the other replied :
"Let us kill him."
And they did so, burying him in the sand.
As they were two, and there was only one flower, they cast lots for it, and the
elder gained it. So he went home very delighted, and when he arrived, gave
the Lily to his father the king, who proclaimed him heir to the crown.
But it happened that a shepherd passed by the spot where the youngest
prince had been buried, and he saw a white reed projecting from the ground,
so he cut it off and made a flute with it . When he played it, it sang
"Play, play, good shepherd;
'For the Blue Lily's blossom
They took my life away, and
Hid me in the river's bosom.'"

Then the shepherd went on playing this until he passed before the palace;
and the king, hearing the flute, went forth and called the shepherd, and said
to him :

"Play thy flute before mc; I should like to hear it."

Then the shepherd entered the palace, and played the flute, and it repeated
its song. So the king commanded his sons to be called, and said to the
shepherd that he must show them where he had obtained that flute. And the
shepherd took them to the place where he had found the white reed, and the
king said to his sons :
"Have you murdered your brother?" But they declared they had not. Then the
king, their father, commanded them to dig at that spot, and they found the
lad alive and well, but wanting a finger that he had had when buried, but
which had served to make the flute. Then the king punished his two wicked
sons, and left the crown to the youngest, who lived and reigned many years,
but always without one of his fingers.
A TALE OF TARADIDDLES.
Once upon a time there was a certain Princess who was very fond of "
drawing the long bow," and who, to all her father's requests that she would
select a husband, declared she never would marry any one who could not
fabricate falsehoods better than herself; and she was such a clever hand at
fibbing that no one could be found who was able to surpass her.
All these things came to the ears of a clever young shepherd, as he was
travelling. "I will present myself," he murmured to himself, "for I am sure I can
gain the hand of the Princess, if telling stories will do it, for to tell fibs as I
can, one must have studied under a descendant of the old Serpent himself."
So he went to the palace.
"What have you for me?" asked the Princess, when he arrived before her.
"I beg to inform your Royal Highness," said the young shepherd, "that I have
travelled a great deal, and that I have come to relate my travels to you."
"That is all very well," said the Princess; only I assure you that if you speak a
single word of truth, you will be turned into the street in a very summary
manner."
"My first journey was a very lengthy one," said the young shepherd, "
because when I planted a palm-tree it grew so quickly that it carried me with
it to heaven. I arrived there just in time to witness the bridal of the Eleven
Thousand Virgins; and because I made love to one of them, St. Peter kicked
me out. In falling I met with the moon, and on entering it by one of its eyes, I
found that it had silver brains and hairs of gold; I attempted to descend by
one of these, when the moon turned her head, and seeing me, with her
mouth bit off the hair that suspended me. I fell into a pumpkin, where I
passed the time pretty comfortably until my abode was carried to the market-

place, where it was sold to the nuns of a convent.

The nuns thought that I was an insect, and carried me out with the convent
refuse to the kitchen garden. A shower of rain falling, I began to grow there,
but cutting away the roots with my knife, I again set forth upon my travels.
After a time I arrived at a river, where I made some nets, and fished up an
ass; I mounted it and continued my journey. After travelling for two days, I
saw that the animal had a wound; I showed this to a veterinary surgeon and
he directed me to sow a bean in it. I did so, and quite a forest of beans grew
up. I took a gun and hunted through them until I saw and shot a wild sow,
which then changed into an old woman, whom I baptised and named
"Nightmare." Goody Nightmare fell in love with me, and in order to escape
from her I mounted upon a tortoise that ran faster than the wind, and in a
trice bore me to the uttermost depths of the ocean. There I found a convent
of anchovies, the prior of which was a whale, who on seeing me opened his
huge mouth and swallowed me, and with me a quantity of water, which he
spouted out through his nostrils, casting me with it on to the sea-shore. There
I met some sailors, and as I was encrusted with the sea salt, and was all
white and stiff, they sold me to some pedlars, who in their turn disposed of
me to a native of Seville, who placed me in the courtyard of his house,
surrounding me with shrubs. The first night it rained, so the salt began to
melt, and I was able to run. I knew that your Royal Highness sought for a
greater liar than yourself in order to reward him, and I said, ' I will go to her
and prove that I am he.'"
"As in saying that you have already told one truth," said the Princess, " I shall
not be able to marry you; but as you have lied so well, and better than any
one else, it is but just that you should be rewarded. I will, therefore, provide
you with a suitable situation. What post is there vacant?" inquired her Royal
Highness of the Minister in attendance.
"Madam," responded the Minister, "there is nothing but the editorship of the
Gazette, the editor of which died to-day."
"Then the post shall be given at once to this shepherd for the talent he has
displayed," said the Princess.
And so it came to pass, and the young shepherd continued lying in the
Gazette, whence it became the custom for people to say, " He lies like the
Gazette." The saying grew into a proverb that has lasted until our days.
THE KNAVISH LITTLE BIRD.
A Certain little bird went to a tailor and ordered him to make it a little woollen
coat. The tailor took his measure, and agreed to have it ready for him in three
days. Then he went to a hatter and ordered a little hat, and the hatter

promised as the tailor had done; finally, the little bird went to a shoemaker,
and the shoemaker took his measure, and like the others told him they
should be ready on the third day. When the appointed time arrived, the bird
went to the tailor, who had the little woollen coat ready, and said to him :
"Put it upon my little bill, and I will pay you."
And the tailor did so, but instead of paying him, the little rogue flew away.
And the same trick was played with the hatter, and with the shoemaker.
Then the little bird dressed itself in the new things and went to the king's
garden, and placed itself upon a tree before the banqueting room. Whilst the
king was dining, it sang :
"In my little woollen coat I am as fine
As the king in his mantle of scarlet."

And it sang and re-sang its song so many times, that his Majesty got angry
and ordered it to be caught and cooked; and brought before him. This was
done; and after it had been plucked of its feathers and cooked, it was so
small that the king swallowed it whole, in a single mouthful.
When the little bird found itself in the king's inside, which seemed to it to be a
cavern darker than midnight, it began to kick about right and left with all its
might. Then the king began to complain, and to say that his food had not
agreed with him, but had made him ill. The doctors came and ordered the
king to take a draught, and this made the little bird so uncomfortable that he
flew out of the king's mouth like a flash of lightning.
In the first place, the bird now dived into a fountain; and then it went to a
carpenter's shop and rubbed itself all over with glue. Afterwards, it went to
the other birds, and told them what had happened to it, and begged each of
them to give it a feather; and each of them did so, and as it was covered with
glue, the feathers all stuck to it; and each feather being of a different colour,
the little bird at last became more beautiful than it had been before, with
plumage as many-coloured as the rainbow. Then it went and fluttered about
the tree that was before the king's balcony, singing lustily :
"To whom has happened what has chanced to me? Into the king to enter, and
from the king come free."
The king said :
"Catch that little rascal of a bird!" But the little bird was now forewarned, so it
flew like the wind, and did not stop until it perched upon the nose of the man

in the moon!